1.
Single (music)
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In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record, an album or an EP record. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats, in most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. Typically, these are the songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as digital download or commercial radio airplay and are expected to be the most popular, in other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album. As digital downloading and audio streaming have become prevalent, it is often possible for every track on an album to also be available separately. Nevertheless, the concept of a single for an album has been retained as an identification of a heavily promoted or more popular song within an album collection. Despite being referred to as a single, singles can include up to as many as three tracks on them. The biggest digital music distributor, iTunes, accepts as many as three tracks less than ten minutes each as a single, as well as popular music player Spotify also following in this trend. Any more than three tracks on a release or longer than thirty minutes in total running time is either an Extended Play or if over six tracks long. The basic specifications of the single were made in the late 19th century. Gramophone discs were manufactured with a range of speeds and in several sizes. By about 1910, however, the 10-inch,78 rpm shellac disc had become the most commonly used format, the inherent technical limitations of the gramophone disc defined the standard format for commercial recordings in the early 20th century.26 rpm. With these factors applied to the 10-inch format, songwriters and performers increasingly tailored their output to fit the new medium, the breakthrough came with Bob Dylans Like a Rolling Stone. Singles have been issued in various formats, including 7-inch, 10-inch, other, less common, formats include singles on digital compact cassette, DVD, and LD, as well as many non-standard sizes of vinyl disc. Some artist release singles on records, a more common in musical subcultures. The most common form of the single is the 45 or 7-inch. The names are derived from its speed,45 rpm. The 7-inch 45 rpm record was released 31 March 1949 by RCA Victor as a smaller, more durable, the first 45 rpm records were monaural, with recordings on both sides of the disc. As stereo recordings became popular in the 1960s, almost all 45 rpm records were produced in stereo by the early 1970s

2.
Jay-Z
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Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and investor. He is one of the musicians of all time, having sold more than 100 million records. MTV ranked him the Greatest MC of all time in 2006, Rolling Stone ranked three of his albums—Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album —among the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2014, Forbes estimated his net worth at nearly $520 million, Jay Z co-owns the New York 40/40 Club sports bar, and is the co-creator of the clothing line Rocawear. He is the president of Def Jam Recordings, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records. He also founded the sports agency Roc Nation Sports and is a certified NBA, as an artist, he holds the record for most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 with 13. He has also had four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100, in 2009, he was ranked the tenth-most successful artist of the 2000s by Billboard as well as the fifth top solo male artist and fourth top rapper behind Eminem, Nelly, and 50 Cent. He was also ranked the 88th-greatest artist of all time by Rolling Stone, Jay Z married Singer-Songwriter Beyoncé in 2008. Shawn Carter was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Marcy Houses and he and his three siblings were raised by their mother, Gloria Carter after their father, Adness Reeves abandoned the family. Reeves would later meet and reconcile with Jay Z before dying from liver failure in 2003, Jay Z claims in his lyrics that in 1982, at the age of 12, he shot his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry. Along with future rapper AZ, Carter attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn until it was closed down, according to his interviews and lyrics, during this period he sold crack cocaine and was shot at three times. According to his mother, Carter used to wake up his siblings at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table and she bought him a boom box for his birthday, sparking his interest in music. He began freestyling and writing lyrics, known as Jazzy around the neighborhood, Carter later adopted the showbiz/stage name Jay-Z in homage to his mentor Jaz-O. He would drop the hyphen in 2013, Jay Z can be briefly heard on several of Jaz-Os early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including The Originators and Hawaiian Sophie. Jay Z became embroiled in several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early 1990s and he first became known to a wide audience on the posse cut Show and Prove on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddys Home. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage. The young Jay Z appeared on a song by Big L, Da Graveyard, and on Mic Geronimos Time to Build. His first official rap single was called In My Lifetime, for which he released a music video, an unreleased music video was also produced for the B-side I Cant Get with That

3.
Future (rapper)
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Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Wilburn first became involved in music as part of the Dungeon Family collective, where he was nicknamed the Future. After amassing a series of mixtapes between 2010 and 2011, Future signed a record label deal with Epic Records and A1 Recordings. He subsequently released his album, Pluto, in April 2012 to positive reviews. Futures second album, Honest, was released in April 2014, between late 2014 and early 2015, he released a trio of mixtapes, Monster, Beast Mode, and 56 Nights. His next releases, DS2, What a Time to Be Alive, EVOL, FUTURE, the latter two made him the first artist to debut to two albums consecutively at the top of that chart. Future has also released several singles certified gold or higher by the RIAA, including Turn On the Lights, Move That Dope, Fuck Up Some Commas, Where Ya At, Jumpman, nayvadius DeMun Wilburn was born on November 20,1983 in Atlanta, Georgia. He began using his name while performing as one of the members of the musical collective The Dungeon Family. His first cousin, record producer and Dungeon Family member Rico Wade, encouraged him to sharpen his writing skills, Future voices his praise of Wades musical influence and instruction, calling him the mastermind behind his sound. He soon came under the wing of Atlantas own Rocko who signed him to his label A-1 Recordings, since then his work ethic has driven him to his success. From 2010 to early 2011, Future released a series of mixtapes including 1000, Dirty Sprite, the latter included the single Tony Montana, in reference to the Scarface film. During that time, Future was also partnering with a fellow rapper Gucci Mane on their collaborative album Free Bricks, and co-wrote YCs single Racks. Future signed a label recording contract with Epic Records fellow American rapper Rockos A1 Recordings, in September 2011, days before the release of his next mixtape. The mixtape was described by XXL magazine as ranging from simple and it would almost feel antiquated if Future werent amassing hits, or if he werent bringing some subtle new dimensions to the micro-genre. Though Future had told MTV that Streetz Calling would be his final mixtape prior to the release of his studio album, another mixtape. In December 2011, Future was featured on the cover of Issue #77 of The FADER, before his album being released in April 2012. Future was selected to the annual XXL Freshmen list in early 2012 and his debut album Pluto, originally planned for January, was eventually released on April 17. It included remixes of Tony Montana featuring Drake and Magic featuring T. I, according to Future, Magic was the first record T. I. jumped on when he came outta jail

4.
Hip hop music
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It developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements, MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti writing. Other elements include sampling beats or bass lines from records, while often used to refer solely to rapping, hip hop more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. Hip hops early evolution occurred as sampling technology and drum machines became available and affordable. Turntablist techniques such as scratching and beatmatching developed along with the breaks and Jamaican toasting, rapping developed as a vocal style in which the artist speaks or chants along rhythmically with an instrumental or synthesized beat. The Sugarhill Gangs 1979 song Rappers Delight is widely regarded to be the first hip hop record to gain popularity in the mainstream. The 1980s marked the diversification of hip hop as the genre developed more complex styles, prior to the 1980s, hip hop music was largely confined within the United States. However, during the 1980s, it began to spread to scenes in dozens of countries. New school hip hop was the wave of hip hop music, originating in 1983–84 with the early records of Run-D. M. C. The Golden age hip hop period was a period between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s. Notable artists from this era include the Juice Crew, Public Enemy, & Rakim, Boogie Down Productions and KRS-One, EPMD, Slick Rick, Beastie Boys, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Ultramagnetic MCs, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest. Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop that often focuses on the violent lifestyles, in the West Coast hip hop style, G-funk dominated mainstream hip hop for several years during the 1990s. I. G. In the 1990s, hip hop began to diversify with other regional styles emerging, such as Southern rap, at the same time, hip hop continued to be assimilated into other genres of popular music, examples being Neo soul and nu metal. Hip hop became a pop music genre in the mid-1990s. The popularity of hip hop music continued through the 2000s, with hip hop influences also increasingly finding their way into mainstream pop, the United States also saw the success of regional styles such as crunk, a Southern genre that emphasized the beats and music more than the lyrics. Starting in 2005, sales of hip hop music in the United States began to severely wane, during the mid-2000s, alternative hip hop secured a place in the mainstream, due in part to the crossover success of artists such as OutKast and Kanye West. Creation of the hip hop is often credited to Keith Cowboy, rapper with Grandmaster Flash. However, Lovebug Starski, Keith Cowboy, and DJ Hollywood used the term when the music was known as disco rap. Cowboy later worked the hip hop cadence into a part of his stage performance, the first use of the term in print was in The Village Voice, by Steven Hager, later author of a 1984 history of hip hop

5.
Epic Records
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Epic Records is an American record company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc. Epic was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 and it later expanded its scope to include a more diverse range of musical genres, including pop, R&B, rock and hip hop. Historically, the label has housed popular acts such as Boston, ABBA, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Dave Clark Five, Gloria Estefan, Pearl Jam, Shakira, Anastacia, and Sly & the Family Stone. Along with Columbia and RCA Records, Epic is one of Sony Music Entertainments three main record labels, L. A. Reid has served as chairman and CEO of Epic since July 2011. Sylvia Rhone was appointed president in March 2014, Epic Records was launched in 1953 by Columbia Records for the purpose of marketing jazz, pop and classical music that did not fit the theme of its more mainstream Columbia Records label. Initial classical music releases were from Philips Records which distributed Columbia product in Europe, pop talent on co-owned Okeh Records were transferred to Epic which made Okeh a rhythm and blues label. Epics bright-yellow, black, and blue became a familiar trademark for many jazz. By 1960, the musical base had been expanded to include all genres. This was done in part to prevent the roster of Columbia Records from being overstuffed with newer artists, subsequently, Epic became better known for its signing of newer, fledgling acts. By the end of the 1960s, Epic earned its first gold records and had evolved into a formidable hit-making force in rock and roll, R&B and country music. Among its many acts, it included Roy Hamilton, Bobby Vinton, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, Tammy Wynette, Donovan, The Yardbirds, Lulu, July, Helen Shapiro and Jeff Beck. Also during the 1960s, Epic oversaw the smaller subsidiary CBS labels including Okeh Records, in 1968, Epic recordings began being distributed in the UK by CBS after the distribution deal with EMI expired that year, Epic itself launched in England around 1971. Epic was involved in a trade of artists. Graham Nash was signed to Epic because of his membership in The Hollies, when the newly formed Crosby, Stills & Nash wanted to sign with Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegün worked out a deal with Clive Davis whereby Richie Furays new band Poco would sign with Epic. Also contributing to the success was its distribution of Philadelphia International Records. Sony bought CBS Records in 1987, and the company was renamed Sony Music in 1991. In 2004, Sony merged with another powerhouse music distributor, BMG, bringing labels such as RCA, Arista, Columbia, Epic, Jive, in February 2009, singer and songwriter Amanda Ghost was appointed president of Epic Records. Later in the year, Sony BMG Music merged Epic and Columbias operations, Sony BMGs Legacy Recordings reissues the companys classic and catalog titles

6.
Songwriter
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A songwriter is an individual who writes the lyrics, melodies and chord progressions for songs, typically for a popular music genre such as rock or country music. A songwriter can also be called a composer, although the term tends to be used mainly for individuals from the classical music genre. The pressure from the industry to produce popular hits means that songwriting is often an activity for which the tasks are distributed between a number of people. For example, a songwriter who excels at writing lyrics might be paired with a songwriter with a gift for creating original melodies, pop songs may be written by group members from the band or by staff writers – songwriters directly employed by music publishers. Some songwriters serve as their own publishers, while others have outside publishers. The old-style apprenticeship approach to learning how to write songs is being supplemented by university degrees and college diplomas, a knowledge of modern music technology, songwriting elements and business skills are necessary requirements to make a songwriting career in the 2010s. Several music colleges offer songwriting diplomas and degrees with music business modules, the legal power to grant these permissions may be bought, sold or transferred. This is governed by international copyright law, song pitching can be done on a songwriters behalf by their publisher or independently using tip sheets like RowFax, the MusicRow publication and SongQuarters. Skills associated with song-writing include entrepreneurism and creativity, songwriters who sign an exclusive songwriting agreement with a publisher are called staff writers. In the Nashville country music scene, there is a staff writer culture where contracted writers work normal 9-to-5 hours at the publishing office and are paid a regular salary. This salary is in effect the writers draw, an advance on future earnings, the publisher owns the copyright of songs written during the term of the agreement for a designated period, after which the songwriter can reclaim the copyright. In an interview with HitQuarters, songwriter Dave Berg extolled the benefits of the set-up, unlike contracted writers, some staff writers operate as employees for their respective publishers. Under the terms of work for hire agreements, the compositions created are fully owned by the publisher. In Nashville, young writers are often encouraged to avoid these types of contracts. Staff writers are common across the industry, but without the more office-like working arrangements favored in Nashville. All the major publishers employ writers under contract, songwriter Allan Eshuijs described his staff writer contract at Universal Music Publishing as a starter deal. His success under the arrangement eventually allowed him to found his own publishing company, so that he could. keep as much as possible, songwriters are also often skilled musicians. In addition to selling their songs and musical concepts for other artists to sing, songwriters need to create a number of elements for a song

7.
Southside (record producer)
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Joshua Howard Luellen, professionally known as Southside, or by his stage name Young Sizzle, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper. Southside gained recognition in the hip hop industry for producing songs for prominent artists across the American hip hop sphere. In 2010, Southside and fellow 1017 label-mate Lex Luger, established their production and songwriting team 808 Mafia. The basis for his name came from the place from where Luellen grew up, Southside. Southside grew up in the Southside region of Atlanta, Georgia, growing up, he was an accomplished baseball player and excelled in numerous baseball positions but eventually gave up the sport after suffering a concussion when he was hit in the head with a ball. He started making beats when he was 14 years old, when he got his first computer with his uncle and it was around his mid teenage years that Southside decided to start take music production as a serious career path. He was later discovered by then unknown rapper Waka Flocka Flame when he was 17 and through Wakas network, Gucci Mane eventually signed him to his label 1017 Brick Squad Records. At Bricksquad Records, Luellen met Lex Luger, who was producer for Waka Flocka. Southside’s first major release was the song Fuck the Club Up, in 2011, Southside co-produced the track Illest Motherfucker Alive, from Kanye West & Jay-Z’s critically acclaimed album Watch the Throne. This helped to boost his career and bring him into the hip hop scene. He has since worked with such as Rick Ross, B. o. B, Wale, Meek Mill, Lil Scrappy. Southside was the producer of Gucci Mane & Waka Flocka’s collaboration album Ferrari Boyz and on Flocka’s sophomore album Triple F Life, Friends. In January 2013, Southside produced Millions - the lead single from Pusha Ts mixtape Wrath of Caine, the music video for the song was released on February 10. The song sparked controversy when producer Rico Beats was asked to modify Southsides instrumental for the version of the song. Southside wasnt notified of the changes, which led to the two producers exchanging threats over Twitter, in Wrath of Caines official track list, Kanye West is credited as co-producer, instead of Rico Beats. Also in 2013, Southside & TM88 produced the song Tapout by Birdman for his album Rich Gang, the song peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and have been certified Gold By The RIAA. Throughout the early 2010s, Southsides productions have featured on numerous mixtapes. Along with 808 Mafia’s TM88, the single “Danny Glover” became a breakout in early 2014 for Gucci Manes protégé Young Thug was produced by Southside, the well received project has seen more than a million combined streams and downloads via the online mixtape site DatPiff

8.
Record producer
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A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performers music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has many roles during the recording process, the roles of a producer vary. The producer may perform these roles himself, or help select the engineer, the producer may also pay session musicians and engineers and ensure that the entire project is completed within the record companies budget. A record producer or music producer has a broad role in overseeing and managing the recording. Producers also often take on an entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules, contracts. In the 2010s, the industry has two kinds of producers with different roles, executive producer and music producer. Executive producers oversee project finances while music producers oversee the process of recording songs or albums. In most cases the producer is also a competent arranger, composer. The producer will also liaise with the engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording. Noted producer Phil Ek described his role as the person who creatively guides or directs the process of making a record, indeed, in Bollywood music, the designation actually is music director. The music producers job is to create, shape, and mold a piece of music, at the beginning of record industry, producer role was technically limited to record, in one shot, artists performing live. The role of producers changed progressively over the 1950s and 1960s due to technological developments, the development of multitrack recording caused a major change in the recording process. Before multitracking, all the elements of a song had to be performed simultaneously, all of these singers and musicians had to be assembled in a large studio and the performance had to be recorded. As well, for a song that used 20 instruments, it was no longer necessary to get all the players in the studio at the same time. Examples include the rock sound effects of the 1960s, e. g. playing back the sound of recorded instruments backwards or clanging the tape to produce unique sound effects. These new instruments were electric or electronic, and thus they used instrument amplifiers, new technologies like multitracking changed the goal of recording, A producer could blend together multiple takes and edit together different sections to create the desired sound. For example, in jazz fusion Bandleader-composer Miles Davis album Bitches Brew, producers like Phil Spector and George Martin were soon creating recordings that were, in practical terms, almost impossible to realise in live performance. Producers became creative figures in the studio, other examples of such engineers includes Joe Meek, Teo Macero, Brian Wilson, and Biddu

9.
For Free
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The song was produced by Nineteen85 and Jordan Ullman. The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America September 15,2016, on Snapchat, DJ Khaled talked about the Drake vocals finally in, referencing the then unreleased song. The song samples lyrics and cadences from Too Shorts Blow the Whistle, the single was premiered by Zane Lowe on Beats 1 Radio on June 3. One of Drakes verses pay homage to Kendrick Lamars To Pimp a Butterfly song, For Free. with a lyric that states, and like your boy from Compton said/You know this dick ain’t free. On the chart dated June 25,2016, For Free entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 18 and it became DJ Khaleds second highest-charting single peaking at number 13 in its ninth week. In Great Britain, the song has peaked at number 25, while peaking at number 47 in Canada and at number 79 in France, audio on YouTube Lyrics of this song at Genius

10.
Recording Industry Association of America
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The Recording Industry Association of America is a continental North and South American trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says create, the RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D. C. The RIAA was formed in 1952 and its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations. Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve, the format of the record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3 rpm,45 rpm. Since 2001, the RIAA has spent $2 to $6 million each year on lobbying in the United States, the RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings, and it is responsible for certifying Gold and Platinum albums and singles in the United States. Cary Sherman has been the RIAAs chairman and CEO since 2011, Sherman joined the RIAA as its general counsel in 1997 and became president of the board of directors in 2001, serving in that position until being made chairman and CEO. Mitch Glazier has been the RIAAs senior executive vice president since 2011 and he served as executive vice president for public policy and industry relations from 2000 to 2011. The past RIAA chairman and CEO is Mitch Bainwol, who served from 2003 to 2011 and he left in 2011 to become president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The board of directors consists of 26 members of the board, the RIAA operates an award program for albums that sell a large number of copies. The program originally began in 1958, with a Gold Award for singles, the criterion was changed in 1975 to the number of copies sold, with albums selling 500,000 copies awarded the Gold Award. In 1976, a Platinum Award was added for one million sales, the awards are open to both RIAA members and non-members. Since 2000, the RIAA also operates a program for Latin music sales. Currently, a Disco De Oro is awarded for 30,000 units, the RIAA defines Latin music as a type of release with 51% or more of its content recorded in Spanish. In 2006, digital ringtones were added to branch of certification. In the same year, the RIAA introduced the Latin Digital Award for digital recordings in Spanish and this release format includes DVD and VHS releases, and certain live albums and compilation albums. The certification criteria is different from other styles. Gold,50,000 Platinum,100,000 Multi-Platinum,200,000 copies The RIAA opposes unauthorized sharing of its music, studies conducted since the association began its campaign against peer-to-peer file-sharing have concluded that losses incurred per download range from negligible to moderate. The association has commenced high-profile lawsuits against file sharing service providers and it has also commenced a series of lawsuits against individuals suspected of file sharing, notably college students and parents of file sharing children

11.
Cameo appearance
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A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance or voice part of a known person in a work of the performing arts, typically unnamed or appearing as themselves. Short appearances by celebrities, film directors, politicians, athletes or musicians are common, a crew member of the show or movie playing a minor role can be referred to as a cameo as well, such as Alfred Hitchcocks frequently performed cameos. Originally cameo role meant a character part that stands out from the other minor parts. The Oxford English Dictionary connects this with the meaning a short literary sketch or portrait, which is based on the meaning of cameo. More recently, cameo has come to refer to any short appearances, whether as a character or as oneself, such as the examples below. Cameos are generally not credited because of their brevity, or a mismatch between the celebritys stature and the film or TV show in which he or she is appearing. Others are acknowledgments of a contribution to an earlier work, as in the case of many film adaptations of TV series. Others honour artists or celebrities known for work in a particular field, possibly the best-known series of cameos was by the director Alfred Hitchcock, who made very brief appearances in most of his films. Cameos also occur in novels and other literary works, “Literary cameos” usually involve an established character from another work who makes a brief appearance to establish a shared universe setting, to make a point, or to offer homage. Balzac often employed this practice, as in his Comédie humaine, a cameo appearance can be made by the author of a work to put a sort of personal signature on a story. Vladimir Nabokov often put himself in his novels, for instance, quentin Tarantino provides cameos or small roles in at least 10 of his movies. Likewise, Peter Jackson has made cameos in all of his movies, except for his first feature-length movie Bad Taste in which he plays a main character. For example, he plays a peasant eating a carrot in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Desolation of Smaug, a Rohan warrior in The Two Towers, director Martin Scorsese appears in the background of his films as a bystander or an unseen character. In Whos That Knocking at My Door, he appears as one of the gangsters, he is a crew man in After Hours. He opens up his 1986 film The Color of Money with a monologue on the art of playing pool. In addition, he appears with his wife and daughter as wealthy New Yorkers in Gangs of New York, in a same way, Roman Polanski appears as a hired hoodlum in his film Chinatown, slitting Jack Nicholsons nose with the blade of his clasp knife. Directors sometimes cast well-known lead actors with whom they have worked in the past in other films, mike Todds film Around the World in 80 Days was filled with cameo roles, and others. The stars in cameo roles were pictured in oval insets in posters for the film, among the many cameos featured in the film Maverick, actor Danny Glover appears as the lead bank robber

12.
Rick Ross
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William Leonard Roberts II, known professionally by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. In 2009, Ross founded the record label Maybach Music Group, on which he released his studio albums Deeper Than Rap, Teflon Don, God Forgives, I Dont, Mastermind, Hood Billionaire, Ross was also the first artist signed to Diddys management company Ciroc Entertainment. In early 2012, MTV named Ross as the Hottest MC in the Game, william Leonard Roberts II was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and raised in Carol City, Florida. After graduating from Miami Carol City Senior High School, he attended the historically black college Albany State University on a football scholarship, Roberts worked as a correctional officer for 18 months from December 1995, until his resignation in June 1997. In his early years at Suave House Records, Roberts initially made his debut under the pseudonym Teflon Da Don and he made his recording debut on the song Aint Shhh to Discuss on Erick Sermons lone album for DreamWorks, Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis. In the mid-2000s, he changed his name to Rick Ross and he derived his stage name from the former drug kingpin Freeway Rick Ross, to whom he has no connection. After being signed to Suave House Records, former label for rap duo 8Ball & MJG, he signed a deal with Slip-n-Slide Records. While signed to Slip-n-Slide, Roberts toured with fellow rapper Trick Daddy and made guest performances on other Slip-n-Slide albums. His debut album Port of Miami was released in August 2006 and debuted at the top spot on the U. S. Billboard 200 album chart, Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone magazine predicted that it would be the summers biggest rap record. The second single was Push It, which samples Scarface, the song from the gangster film Scarface. The music video for Push It was modeled after the film, during that time, Ross made guest performances on two singles from DJ Khaleds debut Listennn. The Album, Born-N-Raised and Holla at Me, Port of Miami received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America on November 8,2006. In March 2008, his second album Trilla was released and, as its predecessor Port of Miami had, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. Its lead single Speedin featuring R. Kelly peaked at number 21 on the U. S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, the third single Here I Am featured Nelly and Avery Storm. MTV News ranked Ross on the spot in its 2008 Hottest MCs in the Game list among ten rappers. The fourth single This Is The Life featured Trey Songz and was released in July, I look at all the strategies people use and what made them successful. What made Birdman just as relevant today after selling 50 million records, to see the class of Jay-Z, his accomplishments and see how he sits backs and accurately makes his moves. A track from the album called Valley of Death was what stood out to MTV reporters, in the song, Ross speaks briefly on his controversial stint as a prison guard

13.
2 Chainz
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Tauheed Epps, known professionally as 2 Chainz, is a Grammy award-winning American rapper from College Park, Georgia. He initially gained recognition for being one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside his friend and fellow rapper. They are perhaps best known for being signed to fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris Disturbing tha Peace label, in February 2012, Epps signed a solo record deal with Def Jam Records, an imprint of Universal Music Group. The following August, he released his studio album Based on a T. R. U. II, Me Time was released on September 11,2013 and it was supported by the singles Feds Watching and Used 2. 2 Chainz was born Tauheed Epps in College Park, Georgia and he attended North Clayton High School, where he played basketball and graduated second in his class. While in high school, he dealt marijuana and was arrested for cocaine possession when he was 15 years old. He later attended Alabama State University on a scholarship, and played on its team for the 1996–97 season. Theres a lot of stuff on there, to the point that every time I try to fix one thing, something else comes out. In fact, he attended Alabama State for his freshman year only, I got into some trouble, went somewhere else, and came back. But I graduated, and that’s that, Epps formed the hip hop duo Playaz Circle in College Park, Georgia in 1997, with his high school friend Earl Conyers, while Epps adopted Tity Boi as his moniker. After taking interest in Playaz Circle, Ludacris began to record songs with the group. Ludacris soon became one of the rappers in the Southern United States. After hearing of their situation, Ludacris requested of Epps that the duo join his newly formed record label Disturbing Tha Peace, Epps agreed to sign, although Conyers did not officially join the label until his mother regained her health, a year after the initial signing. Their debut album Supply & Demand, was released on October 30,2007, the lead single and their debut single, Duffle Bag Boy, became an urban hit single. The song features Lil Wayne, and was performed by the duo at the BET Hip Hop Awards, the duo released their second studio album Flight 360, The Takeoff, on September 29,2009. In January 2010, Playaz Circle filmed a video for their single Big Dawg featuring Lil Wayne. Shortly afterwards, Epps left Disturbing tha Peace, a move he claimed was taken in order to advance his career, although Ludacris was initially reluctant to allow Epps to leave the label, he eventually accepted the decision

14.
Pusha T
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Terrence LeVarr Thornton, better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He initially gained recognition as one-half of hip hop duo Clipse, alongside his brother Gene No Malice Thornton. In September 2010, Thornton announced his signing to Kanye Wests GOOD Music imprint, in March 2011, he released his first solo project, a mixtape titled Fear of God. Thornton released his solo album My Name Is My Name. In November 2015, Kanye West appointed Pusha T to take over his role as president of GOOD Music, Terrence LeVarr Thornton was born on May 13,1977, in The Bronx borough of New York City. Thornton and his family relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 1992, Terrence and his brother Gene formed the duo Clipse, of the two brothers, Terrence was more open to features, appearing on Kelis 1999 single Good Stuff and Niveas 2001 single Run Away, respectively. In 2004, he and his brother launched their record label imprint, Re-Up Records, in 2006, they released their third studio album and their most commercial album, Hell Hath No Fury, which was praised by critics. After one more album as the Clipse in 2009, both No Malice and Pusha T announced that they were taking time off from the duo to focus on their own solo projects. He was also featured on tracks from Wests GOOD Fridays series and made other appearances on Swizz Beatzs Monster Mondays series. 2 and tabi Bonneys Fresh, respectively, on the week of December 16,2010, Thornton signed exclusively with NUE Agency. On February 11,2011, Funkmaster Flex debuted Thorntons first solo offering on New York Citys Hot 97, the track, titled My God, was produced by Hit-Boy and was generally well received by the public. Soon after, the song leaked onto the internet, however was not officially released through iTunes, on March 21,2011, Thornton released his first solo project, a mixtape titled Fear of God, which included My God and featured freestyles and other original songs. Soon after he began working on his extended play Fear of God II, Let Us Pray. On August 31,2011, it was announced Thornton signed a record deal with Def Jam. In addition it was revealed he added four songs to the EP making it 12 tracks rather than just the nine tracks that were previously announced. The first single from Fear of God II, Let Us Pray was leaked onto the Internet on July 8,2011, the song, titled Trouble on My Mind, features Odd Future frontman, Tyler, The Creator. The EPs second single, Amen was released September 13,2011, the song, originally meant for Young Jeezy, was produced by Shawty Redd and features verses from Kanye West and Young Jeezy respectively

15.
ASAP Ferg
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Darold D. Brown Ferguson, Jr. better known by his stage name ASAP Ferg, is an American rapper from New York Citys Harlem neighborhood. Aside from his career, he is a member of the hip hop collective A$AP Mob. His debut album Trap Lord was released on August 20,2013, on April 22,2016, Ferg released his second studio album, Always Strive and Prosper. Darold D. Brown Ferguson, Jr. was born on October 20,1988, in Harlem, Ferg was raised in an area notoriously known as Hungry Ham. His father owned a Harlem boutique and printed shirts and logos for record labels, including Bad Boy Records and luminaries such as Teddy Riley, Heavy D, Bell Biv DeVoe, even though he immersed himself in music, the younger Ferg pursued fashion at first. Inspired by his father, who died of kidney failure, Ferg launched clothing and jewelry lines at a young age and attended art school. In 2005, Ferg began launching the Devoni Clothing, that he designed and distributed high-end belts, I went from painting to making clothes to rapping. I always put myself into everything I do one hundred percent and it doesnt matter what Im working on. I want to perfect everything I do and they call me ‘Trap Lord’ because my hustle game is impeccable. Friends since high school, A$AP Rocky recognized that Ferg had an impeccable hustle game and they later joined the hip hop collective A$AP Mob, from which they both adopted their respective monikers. Since 2010, they collaborated on songs such as Get High, Kissin Pink and Ghetto Symphony. Fergs debut single Work, produced by Chinza and Fly, appeared on the A$AP Mob mixtape Lords Never Worry, the songs music video quickly earned over 2 million online views and was dubbed one of the 50 Best Songs of 2012 by Complex Magazine. On January 10,2013, he announced Trap Lord would be the title of his debut album. When speaking on his debut album Trap Lord, Ferg said, I hope people take the good, there were times I ducked bullets at a basketball game, and then I went to a fashion show. I learned how to be independent, I made it out of the hood, and now I want go to the top. On January 10,2013, it was announced that he signed a deal with RCA Records. On May 14,2013, the remix to Work, featuring fellow American rappers A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, French Montana and Trinidad James, was released to digital retailers. On June 2,2013, while revealing Trap Lord would feature guest appearances from hip hop groups Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Onyx, the album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 chart, with total album sales of 46,000 copies in the United States

16.
T.I.
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Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. better known by his stage names T. I. and Tip, is an American hip hop recording artist and actor from Atlanta, Georgia. He signed his first major-label record deal in 1999, with Arista Records subsidiary, in 2001, T. I. formed the Southern hip hop group Pimp Squad Click, alongside his longtime friends and fellow Atlanta-based rappers. Upon being released from Arista, T. I. signed to Atlantic Records and subsequently became the executive officer of his own label imprint, Grand Hustle Records. T. I. is also perhaps best known as one of the artists who popularized the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane. T. I. has released nine albums, with seven of them reaching the top five of the US Billboard 200 chart. Throughout his career, T. I. has also released several successful singles, including Bring Em Out, Whatever You Like, Live Your Life, Dead and Gone, Ball. He began to gain recognition in 2003, following his first high-profile feature, on fellow Atlanta-based rapper Bone Crushers hit single. He earned more prominence with the release of Trap Muzik, which includes the Top 40 hits, Rubber Band Man, the next year, T. I. appeared on Destinys Childs international hit, Soldier, alongside Lil Wayne. His subsequent albums, King and T. I. vs. T. I. P. generated high record sales and were supported by singles, such as What You Know and Big Shit Poppin. In 2013, T. I. was featured on Robin Thickes hit single Blurred Lines, alongside Pharrell Williams, in November 2013, T. I. announced that he had signed with Columbia Records, after his 10-year contract with Atlantic came to an end. He released his Columbia Records debut, Paperwork, in October 2014, in February 2016, T. I. announced he signed a distribution deal with Roc Nation, to release his tenth album. T. I. has won three Grammy Awards, namely Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. T. I. has served two terms in county jail, twice for probation violations and a federal prison bid for a U. S. federal weapons charge, while serving 11 months in prison, he released his seventh studio album, No Mercy. T. I. has also had an acting career, starring in the films ATL, Takers, Get Hard, Identity Thief. He is also an author, having written two novels Power & Beauty and Trouble & Triumph, both of which were released to moderate success. T. I. has also starred in the American reality television series T. I. s Road to Redemption, in 2009, Billboard ranked him as the 27th Artist of the 2000s decade. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. was born on September 25,1980, in Atlanta, Georgia and he was raised by his grandparents in Atlantas Center Hill neighborhood just off Bankhead Highway. His father resided in New York City, and he would go there to visit

17.
Swizz Beatz
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Kasseem Dean, better known by his stage name Swizz Beatz, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer from New York City, New York. Born and raised in The Bronx, he began his career as a disc jockey and has since added rapper, producer, record executive, creative director and fashion designer. At the age of 16, he gained recognition in the hip hop industry, through his friendship and work with East Coast rapper DMX, Dean later found a protégé in Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy, whose success helped the launch of his own label imprint, Full Surface Records. He went on to multiple artists to the label, including Eve and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Dean also went on to two albums under the label, the first was a compilation, titled Swizz Beatz Presents G. H. E. T. T. O. Stories, released in 2002, in conjunction with DreamWorks Records and he later released his debut studio album, One Man Band Man, in 2007. Swizz Beatz has produced hit singles for several prominent artists throughout various music genres, such as hip hop, pop, soul. His catalog includes Ruff Ryders Anthem, Banned from T. V, gotta Man, Jigga My Nigga, Party Up, Check on It, Ring the Alarm, Good Times, Bring Em Out, Hotel, Im a Hustla, Touch It and much more. Swizz Beatz was named the first Producer in Residence at New York University, about. com ranked him number 27 on its list of the Top 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Producers, while The Source placed him on its list of the 20 greatest producers in the magazines 20-year history. Fellow American rapper and music producer Kanye West has also praised Dean, Dean is married to American singer Alicia Keys, with whom he has two children. Due to his parents separation in his life, Dean did not see much of his father. He spent much of his childhood raised by his mother in the North East Bronx, after obtaining the necessary equipment from his stepfather and uncles, he began deejaying as a teenager and enjoyed a modicum of success. In his early work, he chose not to sample, instead using the Korg Trinity and Triton keyboards. With his uncles Dee and Waah, as well as his aunt Chivon Dean, all involved with the Ruff Ryders Entertainment record label, a year later he sold his first beat to Ruff Ryders artist DMX, which became his chart-topping single Ruff Ryders Anthem. Swizz Beatz then began producing major hip-hop songs released in 1998 such as Banned from T. V. by Noreaga, Money, Cash, Hoes by Jay-Z and more. The following year, he produced most of the songs of the Ruff Ryders compilation album Ryde or Die Vol.1, as well as the bulk of Eves debut album. In 2001, in a joint venture with Clive Davis, Swizz Beatz established his own label, Full Surface Records. The first artist signed was Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy, when Swizz Beatz released his first compilation album Swizz Beatz Presents G. H. E. T. T. O

18.
Busta Rhymes
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Trevor George Smith Jr. better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes, is an American recording artist, actor, record producer and record executive. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, about. com included him on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time, while Steve Huey of AllMusic called him one of the best and most prolific rappers of the 1990s. In 2012, The Source placed him on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, MTV has called him one of hip-hops greatest visual artists. Busta Rhymes was an member of Leaders of the New School. He later went on and founded the record label Conglomerate and production crew The Conglomerate, in November 2011, Busta Rhymes signed a deal with Cash Money Records. On July 23,2014, Busta Rhymes announced that he left Cash Money Records due to differences and was no longer on Republic. In 2016 Rhymes signed with Epic for his album due to be released in early 2017. He has so far released nine albums, with the first being the 1996 platinum-selling album The Coming. His list of hit singles include Woo Hah, got You All in Check, Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See, Dangerous, Turn It Up /Fire It Up, Gimme Some More, Whats It Gonna Be. Pass the Courvoisier, Part II, I Know What You Want and Touch It, Busta Rhymes was born Trevor George Smith Jr. in Brooklyn, New York, on May 20,1972 to Geraldine Green and Trevor Smith, who are from Jamaica. The most known story of Bustas tenure at Westinghouse High School was battle rapping his fellow schoolmate Jay Z in the schools cafeteria one day, to whom he ultimately lost. In 1989, Smith, alongside fellow Long Island natives Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Cut Monitor Milo, the groups big break was when they became an opening act for fellow Long Island hip hop group Public Enemy. Public Enemys Chuck D gave Busta Rhymes and Charlie Brown their respective stage names, Leaders of the New School began recording in late 1989 and released their debut album A Future Without a Past. in 1991 on Elektra Records. In early 1992, the group appeared on A Tribe Called Quests posse cut Scenario, soon after, however, internal problems arose because of Busta Rhymess increasing popularity, and the group broke up on the set of Yo. By the summer of 1992, Rhymes began making guest appearances on songs by artists such as Big Daddy Kane, Another Bad Creation. Brand Nubian, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, as well on the interludes to Mary J. Bliges debut Whats the 411. and R&B trio TLCs Diamond-certified second album CrazySexyCool. He also appeared on the jacket of fellow hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quests Midnight Marauders. In early 1993, he appeared in a role in Whos the Man

19.
Fabolous
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John David Jackson, better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American hip hop recording artist from Brooklyn, New York City. Jacksons career began when he was a senior in school and ended up rapping live on American record producer and music executive DJ Clues radio show. Jackson was subsequently signed by DJ Clue to his label Desert Storm, Fabolous first release, Ghetto Fabolous, spawned the hit singles Cant Deny It and Youngn, which led Jackson to prominence. His second release was 2003s Street Dreams, which was supported by two Top 10 singles Cant Let You Go and Into You. Aside from the songs, Jackson has released a string of hit singles, such as Trade It All, Pt.2, Breathe, Make Me Better, Baby Dont Go, Throw It in the Bag. He is also known for appearing on several R&B singles, including Superwoman Pt, in 2004, Jackson signed to Atlantic Records, after leaving Elektra, where he released Real Talk, his first and only album under Atlantic. In 2006, Jackson was let out of his contract with Atlantic, also in 2006, Jackson founded his own record label, Street Family Records. In 2007, he released From Nothin to Somethin, under Def Jam, in 2009, he would go on to release his fifth album, Losos Way. Throughout the years Jackson has released mixtapes, including several installments of his highly acclaimed There Is No Competition series. He released his album, The Young OG Project, in 2014. Fabolous has a current net worth of $23 million that has accumulated mostly from his music career. Fabolous was born John David Jackson on November 18,1977 and is of Dominican and African American descent and he grew up in Breevort Houses in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. While in his year of high school, Fabolous began to pursue a career in hip hop music. He was invited to rap live on American record producer and music executive DJ Clues radio show, DJ Clue subsequently signed Fabolous to his record label, Desert Storm Records. Fabolous was then featured on several DJ Clue mixtapes, as well as mixtapes with Roc-A-Fella artists and this earned Fabolous and Desert Storm a distribution deal with Elektra Records. In a September 6,2001 interview with Hot104. com, Fabolous said he never planned on becoming a rapper and told the website, I was just trying to make some money, I got tired of being broke. This was something where I could make some money, Fabolous released his debut album, Ghetto Fabolous, on September 11,2001. It debuted at four on the Billboard 200, selling over 143,000 copies in its first week

20.
Yo Gotti
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Mario Mims, better known by his stage name Yo Gotti, is an American rapper. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album Youngstas On a Come Up under the alias Lil Yo. He went to release From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game, Self-Explanatory, Life, Back 2 da Basics, Live from the Kitchen, I Am, Mims grew up in Ridgecrest Apartments of Frayser, Memphis. He began his career around the age of 14, rapping as Lil Yo, affiliated with DJ Sound. Between 2000 and 2006, Yo Gotti released a string of independent albums, from Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game, Self-Explanatory, Life and Back 2 da Basics. After several delays Yo Gotti released his label debut studio album Live From The Kitchen on January 10,2012. The albums original first single was titled 5 Star and it was released on May 20,2009, the single peaked at 79 on the Hot 100,19 on U. S R&B and 11 on U. S Rap. Women Lie, Men Lie featuring Lil Wayne the albums single was released on December 11,2009. The song peaked at 81 on 100,22 on the U. S R&B and 12 on the U. S Rap, look In the Mirror was the third single released 7 months after the second single on July 27,2010. The song peaked at 97 on the U. S R&B chart, Live From The Kitchen debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200, with 16,000 copies sold in its first week of sales in the United States. After three weeks on the chart the album has sold 36,000 copies in the United States, in 2012 due to Gottis views of the low sales of his debut album he took his departure from RCA Records & Polo Grounds Music. On October 17,2012, he released the 7th version of his mixtape series Cocaine Muzik entitled Cocaine Muzik 7. In early 2013, Gotti announced that he and his label CMG had been signed to a deal with Epic Records from longtime business partner L. A. Reid. On May 28,2013, Yo Gotti announced that his studio album would be titled I Am. The first single from his studio album I Am is titled Act Right and features Young Jeezy. The song debuted at #5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and at #39 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. As of September 21, it has peaked at #100 on the Hot 100, making it Gotti and YGs third Hot 100 entry, #33 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, in July 2013, it was announced that the album would be released on November 19,2013. On September 2,2013, Yo Gotti released the mixtape Nov 19th, on October 7,2013, the albums second official single King Shit featuring T. I. was sent to mainstream urban radio in the United States

21.
Freebandz
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Freebandz is a record label founded by American hip hop recording artist Future. The labels releases are distributed through Epic Records, the artists under the label are referred to as the Freeband Gang. Future signed a label deal with Epic Records in September 2011, days before the release of his mixtape. The mixtape was described by XXL magazine as ranging from simple and it would almost feel antiquated if Future werent amassing hits, or if he werent bringing some subtle new dimensions to the micro-genre. Though Future had told MTV that Streetz Calling would be his final mixtape prior to the release of his studio album, another mixtape. In December 2011, Future was featured on the cover of Issue #77 of The FADER, before his album being released in April 2012. Future was selected to the annual XXL Freshmen list in early 2012 and his debut album Pluto, originally planned for January, was eventually released on April 17. It included remixes of Tony Montana featuring Drake and Magic featuring T. I, according to Future, Magic was the first record T. I. jumped on when he came outta jail. Like, he was out of jail a day and he jumped straight on the Magic record without me even knowing about it, the track became Futures first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other collaborators on the album include Trae Tha Truth, R. Kelly and Snoop Dogg On October 8,2012, Pusha T released Pain featuring Future, in 2012, Future wrote, produced and was featured on Loveeeeeee Song taken from Barbadian singer Rihannas seventh studio album Unapologetic. On January 15,2013, Future released the compilation mixtape F. B. G, the Movie which features the artists signed to his Freebandz label, Young Scooter, Slice9, Casino, Mexico Rann and Maceo. It was certified platinum for having over 250,000 downloads on mixtape site DatPiff. Future said of his studio album Future Hendrix it will be a more substantive musical affair than his debut album. The album was to be released in 2013, the album will feature Kanye West, Rihanna, Ciara, Drake, Kelly Rowland, Jeremih, Diplo, and André3000, among others. The albums lead single, Karate Chop featuring Casino, premiered on January 25,2013 and was sent to radio on January 29,2013. The song is produced by Metro Boomin, the official remix, which features Lil Wayne, was sent radio and was released on iTunes on February 19,2013. On August 7,2013, Future changed the title of his album from Future Hendrix to Honest. It was later revealed that the album would be pushed back to April 22,2014, in December 2013, it was announced that Future would make a guest appearance on Kat Dahlias upcoming debut, My Garden

22.
GfK Entertainment Charts
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The GfK Entertainment Charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment GmbH on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Following a lawsuit in March 2014 by Media Control AG, Media Control® GfK International had to change its name, dissemination of the charts is conducted by various media outlets, some of which include VIVA music channel, and the Swiss charts website. Other entities that present the charts are MusicLoad and MIX1, furthermore, GfK Entertainment also runs a dedicated website providing chart-related news and access to most of the charts. Charts have been published in Germany since 1959, in a magazine called Der Musikmarkt, since 1959, the growing desire to have a well-developed music program has made Bundesverband Musikindustrie work together with charts providers to improve the way the charts are determined. For this purpose, different research institutes were tested, out of which Media Control, hence, the first official charts were made available in the magazine Der Musikmarkt in September 1977. Initially, there used to be 50 positions only, which later in January 1980, was extended to 75 slots, since 1989, however, GfK Entertainment has adapted the international standards providing 100 positions, now called Offizielle Top 100 Charts. In 2001, the Top-100 singles charts was modified to reflect the sales of the singles, Media Control developed Music Video charts in 2001, which later, in 2004, was renamed as DVD charts. While music-videos have their own charts, in 2001, GfK Entertainment made it possible for the music-video singles to have the ability to enter the Top-100 singles chart. Similarly, in 2002, it was available for music-video albums to chart on the Top-100 album chart. If not, then, the DVD album could qualify for the DVD chart only, in the same vein, if an audio CD contains at least 50% of video recording, then, it could qualify to chart on the DVD chart. In 2003, Media Control joined forces with GfK, thus the name officially being changed to Media Control GfK International GmbH. In 2004, Germany became one of the first music markets wherein sales charts were reflected by online digital downloads, digital-only releases came into existence on 13 July 2007, for online downloads only, which also altered the way the sales figures were conducted up to that point. Consequently, chart positions would no longer be affected by the number of music downloads as before. Thus, the albums would not necessarily be the ones ending up in the number-one position on the charts. In March 2014, GfK announced that the official chart providers name in Germany will change from Media Control GfK International GmbH to GfK Entertainment, there are currently 3,000 outlets that report their sales on weekly bases in Germany. The weekly sales data is transmitted to GfK Entertainment via communication network channel and this is the list of categories, for each of which charts are provided by GfK Entertainment

23.
Billboard Hot 100
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The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play and online streaming, the weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday, when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming data, is available on a real-time basis. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesdays, as of the issue for the week ending on April 15,2017, the Hot 100 has had 1,061 different number one hits. The current number one song is Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, prior to 1955, Billboard did not have a unified, all-encompassing popularity chart, instead measuring songs by individual metrics. At the start of the era in 1955, three such charts existed, Best Sellers in Stores was the first Billboard chart, established in 1936. This chart ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country, Most Played by Jockeys was Billboards original airplay chart. It ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys, Most Played in Jukeboxes ranked the most played songs in jukeboxes across the United States. On the week ending November 12,1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time, the Top 100 combined all aspects of a singles performance, based on a point system that typically gave sales more weight than radio airplay. The Best Sellers In Stores, Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts continued to be published concurrently with the new Top 100 chart. The week ending July 28,1958 was the publication of the Most Played By Jockeys and Top 100 charts. On August 4,1958, Billboard premiered one main all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on October 13,1958. The Billboard Hot 100 is still the standard by which a songs popularity is measured in the United States, the Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by Nielsen Soundscan and streaming activity provided by online music sources. There are several component charts that contribute to the calculation of the Hot 100. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions, computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data. Hot Singles Sales, the top selling singles compiled from a sample of retail store, mass merchant and internet sales reports collected, compiled. The chart is released weekly and measures sales of commercial singles. With the decline in sales of singles in the US

24.
Billboard (magazine)
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Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events and it is also known for its music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular singles and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows, Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegens interest in 1900 for $500, in the 1900s, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs and burlesque shows. It also created a service for travelling entertainers. Billboard began focusing more on the industry as the jukebox, phonograph. Many topics it covered were spun-off into different magazines, including Amusement Business in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment so that it could focus on music. After Donaldson died in 1925, Billboard was passed down to his children and Hennegans children, until it was sold to investors in 1985. The first issue of Billboard was published in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 1,1894 by William Donaldson, initially, it covered the advertising and bill posting industry and was called Billboard Advertising. At the time, billboards, posters and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the means of advertising. Donaldson handled editorial and advertising, while Hennegan, who owned Hennegan Printing Co. managed magazine production, the first issues were just eight pages long. The paper had columns like The Bill Room Gossip and The Indefatigable, a department for agricultural fairs was established in 1896. The title was changed to The Billboard in 1897, after a brief departure over editorial differences, Donaldson purchased Hennegans interest in the business in 1900 for $500, to save it from bankruptcy. That May, Donaldson changed it from a monthly to a paper with a greater emphasis on breaking news. He improved editorial quality and opened new offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London and he also re-focused the magazine on outdoor entertainment like fairs, carnivals, circuses, vaudeville and burlesque shows. A section devoted to circuses was introduced in 1900, followed by more prominent coverage of events in 1901. Billboard also covered topics including regulation, a lack of professionalism, economics and it had a stage gossip column covering the private lives of entertainers, a tent show section covering traveling shows and a sub-section called Freaks to order. According to The Seattle Times, Donaldson also published articles attacking censorship, praising productions exhibiting good taste

25.
Amazon (company)
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Amazon. com, also called Amazon, is an American electronic commerce and cloud computing company that was founded on July 5,1994, by Jeff Bezos and is based in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest Internet-based retailer in the world by total sales, the company also produces consumer electronics—notably, Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Fire TV, and Echo—and is the worlds largest provider of cloud infrastructure services. Amazon also sells certain low-end products like USB cables under its in-house brand AmazonBasics. Amazon has separate retail websites for the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, Japan, China, India, and Mexico. Amazon also offers international shipping to other countries for some of its products. In 2016, Dutch, Polish, and Turkish language versions of the German Amazon website were launched. In 2015, Amazon surpassed Walmart as the most valuable retailer in the United States by market capitalization, in 1994, Bezos left his employment as vice-president of D. E. Shaw & Co. a Wall Street firm and moved to Seattle. He began to work on a plan for what would eventually become Amazon. com. Bezos incorporated the company as Cadabra on July 5,1994, Bezos changed the name to Amazon a year later after a lawyer misheard its original name as cadaver. In September 1994, Bezos purchased the URL Relentless. com and briefly considered naming his online store Relentless, the domain is still owned by Bezos and still redirects to the retailer. The company went online as Amazon. com in 1995, Bezos placed a premium on his head start in building a brand, telling a reporter, Theres nothing about our model that cant be copied over time. But you know, McDonalds got copied, and it still built a huge, multibillion-dollar company. A lot of it comes down to the brand name, brand names are more important online than they are in the physical world. Additionally, a beginning with A was preferential due to the probability it would occur at the top of any list that was alphabetized. Since June 19,2000, Amazons logotype has featured a curved arrow leading from A to Z, representing that the company carries every product from A to Z, with the arrow shaped like a smile. After reading a report about the future of the Internet that projected annual Web commerce growth at 2, 300% and he narrowed the list to what he felt were the five most promising products, which included, compact discs, computer hardware, computer software, videos and books. Amazon was founded in the garage of Bezos home in Bellevue, the company began as an online bookstore, an idea spurred off with discussion with John Ingram of Ingram Book, along with Keyur Patel who still holds a stake in Amazon. Amazon was able to access books at wholesale from Ingram, in the first two months of business, Amazon sold to all 50 states and over 45 countries

26.
DJ Khaled discography
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The discography of Miami-based DJ and record producer DJ Khaled consists of nine studio albums, twenty six singles and nine featured singles. The Album, was released in 2006 and we the Best, his second album, was released in 2007 and contains the hits We Takin Over, with Akon, T. I. Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman and Lil Wayne, and Im So Hood, with T-Pain, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, and Plies. The two songs peaked at number 28 and number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and are platinum songs, and We the Best peaked at number eight on the US Billboard 200. His next album, We Global, from 2008, peaked at seven on the albums chart and has the song Out Here Grindin, featuring Akon, Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Boosie, Ace Hood. All I Do is Win had peaked at number 24 on the Hot 100 as Victorys third single, released in 2011 was We the Best Forever, containing the top 10 song Im On One, with Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. The album hit number five on the Billboard 200, standing On The Mountain Top 02. Shout Out to the Real 04 and you Dont Want These Problems 07

27.
Listennn... the Album
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The Album is the debut studio album by DJ Khaled. The album was released on June 6,2006, by Terror Squad Entertainment and Koch Records. The album debuted at twelve in the Billboard 200, spawning three singles, Holla at Me, Grammy Family, and Born-N-Raised. The album features guest appearances from P. M. Fat Joe, Young Jeezy, Kanye West, Bun B, Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Juelz Santana, Slim Thug, Krayzie Bone, Chamillionaire, Trina, Twista, Freeway, T. I. John Legend, Akon, Jadakiss, Beanie Sigel, Styles P, Dre, Paul Wall, Pitbull, Brisco, Homebwoi, Lil Scrappy, the first official single is Holla at Me, featuring Lil Wayne, Paul Wall, Fat Joe, Rick Ross and Pitbull. The single peaked at number 59 on the Billboard 100, the second official single is Grammy Family, featuring Kanye West, John Legend and Consequence. The third official single is Born-N-Raised, featuring Pitbull, Trick Daddy, the song is also included on Pitbulls second album El Mariel. The Album received a positive reception from music critics. David Jeffries of AllMusic praised Khaled for crafting an album thats diverse in its production geography-wise, a. L. Friedman of PopMatters also praised Khaled for bringing in an all-star cast of artists and producers, signaling out Born-N-Raised and Gangsta Shit as the albums standouts. The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, selling 44,000 copies in its first week and it has since sold over 230,000 copies

28.
We the Best
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We the Best is the second studio album by Miami-based DJ and fellow Terror Squad member DJ Khaled. It was released on June 12,2007, by Terror Squad Entertainment, DJ Khaled alongside fellow rapper Fat Joe and Allah, collectively handled as the executive producers on this album. The album was produced by Cool & Dre, Jim Jonsin, The Diaz Brothers and The Runners, as well as the guest appearances from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Trina, Paul Wall and Bun B and it was supported by two singles, We Takin Over featuring T. I. Akon, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman and Lil Wayne, the album debuted at number 8 on the US Billboard 200. As of January 2008, the album has sold 440,000 copies in the United States, the albums first single, We Takin Over was released on April 1,2007. The song features guest vocals from American rappers T. I, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman and Lil Wayne, alongside the musician Akon. The song was produced by Danja, the albums second single, Im So Hood was released on. The song features vocals from American recording artist T-Pain, alongside rappers Trick Daddy, Plies and Rick Ross. The song was produced by the production duo The Runners and we the Best received a generally mixed reception from music critics. Just dont fool yourself into thinking that Khaled had anything to do with it other than putting the people together in the right place at the right time. The album debuted at number 8 on the US Billboard 200, as of January 2008, the album has sold 440,000 copies in the United States. Notes On the Wal-Mart edition, the track Hit Em Up was being removed from the listing on the album. Intro and **** Im from Dade County both do not included the vocals from Rick Ross in some markets, only included on the Best Buy edition, sample credits We Takin Over contains a sample of C. R. E. A. M. Brown Paper Bag contains a sample of If I Cant Have You performed by Yvonne Elliman, S on My Chest contains a sample of Get Your Shine On performed by Birdman. Credits for We the Best adapted from AllMusic

29.
We Global
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We Global is the third studio album by Miami based mixtape DJ and Terror Squad member, DJ Khaled. The album was released on September 16,2008 and this was the last album on his Koch Records label deal, and the first on his We the Best Music Group label. The albums first single, Out Here Grindin leaked on May 5,2008, the song features Akon, Rick Ross, Lil Boosie, Trick Daddy, Ace Hood and Plies. The single debuted and peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the albums second single was Go Hard featuring Kanye West and T-Pain. The song peaked at number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the album debuted at number 7 on the US Billboard 200, selling 59,573 copies in the first week. Samples credits Go Hard contains a sample of Angel by Madonna, Out Here Grindin contains a sample of Whats Beef. by The Notorious B. I. G. Red Light contains a sample of Trace of Your Love by Joe Simon, what You Gonna Do to Me contains a sample of A Cold Day in Hell by Wings of Plague